Take The Fall
by captaindynamite
Summary: Robert and James have been best friends for two years, but their feelings are beginning to get in the way of that, not to mention the efforts of an outsider to keep them apart forever.
1. Chapter 1

**I blame Hardly Here for making me want a good slash story, and then making me think of this idea with our conversation, so yeah, I blame Hardly Here.**

**I own no one involved in this story, they all belong to TNA.**

The locker room was rather empty as Robert sat backstage, lacing up his shoes after another taping of TNA. They had only gotten through one week of taping so far, and still had another two to go, which was something Robert wasn't all that fond about. He had other plans, plans that involved some time off to do what he wanted, or maybe who he wanted. Nah, he wasn't going to let those thoughts fill his head, well not right now while he was alone.

He wasn't alone for long though as the door burst open, and his tag team partner walked in, a beer in one hand, a sandwich in the other. That's how Robert always saw James. He was never without at least one of those items, and if he ever was it was probably because he was sleeping, though Robert only knew that because of all the times they shared a room or a bed.

"Hey man," called James, shaking Robert from his thoughts, "You ready to go yet?"

Robert nodded, standing up before really looking at James, "Man, you're not," he said with a chuckle, "You haven't even changed yet."

James glanced down at himself before letting a slight blush creep over his face when he noticed he was still in his Beer Money shirt and trunks.

"I'll wait for you outside," said Robert with a sly grin before grabbing his bag and walking out the door, letting the door swing shut with a soft thud behind him. No matter how much Robert wanted to stay in there, to stay with his partner, he didn't think it was exactly the right time otherwise he might act on his thoughts from earlier.

"Oh Robert, I'm glad I caught you," said a voice from behind, yanking Robert from his thoughts once more. Was everyone trying to interrupt him from his thoughts tonight, or what?

He turned to see Ric Flair coming up to him, a bright grin on the old man's lips as he stopped next to him, clapping him on the shoulder.

"There's something I need to talk to you about young man," he started off, "But not tonight, tomorrow come by AJ's locker room, we need to have a serious talk."

With that, Flair walked away, leaving a confused Robert behind. He was in fact so confused that he didn't even hear the locker room door open, or Storm walk out ready to go.

"Hey Robert man," he said, slapping Robert's arm gently, "Anyone home?"

Robert jumped, turning his head to look at James, "Oh, sorry," he said softly, hoisting his bag up further on his shoulder, "You ready to go now?"

Storm nodded before heading off down the hall. Robert followed after him, his mind traveling back to what Flair wanted to talk to him about, his eyes locked on the back of James as they headed out to the rental car.

"What's eating ya?" asked James as they drove back to the hotel, James being the one driving this time.

Robert was quiet for a moment before voicing his thoughts, "Flair wants to meet with me tomorrow about something," he said slowly, "I don't know what I did wrong."

James grinned slightly, reaching over with his right hand and patting Robert on the leg, "You didn't do anything wrong," he said gently, pulling his hand back after a moment, and placing it back on the wheel.

Robert nodded his head, not speaking after that little touch from James. He couldn't trust himself to say anything close to rational right now. He was far too flustered to even think straight, he realized as he climbed out of the car and walked with James to the hotel.

"Are you sure that's the only thing bothering you?" asked James as he walked over and sat next to Robert on the bed. Robert nodded, looking up at him.

"I feel like I did something wrong," he answered gently, "Like I'm going to be kicked out of Fortune or something for something that's not even in the fucking storyline."

James frowned softly, resting his hand down on Robert's leg, "You haven't done one damn thing wrong," he said encouragingly, resting his head on Robert's shoulder, "Not one damn thing."

Robert nodded, pulling out of James' hold after a few minutes, "If you say so," he said with a sigh before standing up from the bed and disappearing into the bathroom. James sighed gently, staring at the closed door before standing up from the bed and stripped down to his boxers before climbing into the other bed, his back to the bathroom.

A little while later, Robert walked out of the bathroom, his gaze traveling over to the bed where he spotted Storm asleep in the other bed. He frowned, tossing his towel aside before walking over to his own bed and climbing underneath the covers. He sighed gently as he cuddled up to the extra pillow, his mind unable to shut down. He could hear everything in the room as he laid there underneath the sheets, his body already slick with sweat as he tried to get cool.

"Robert?" whined James softly a few hours later, "Robbberrt."

"What is it James?" he asked softly, turning over and looking through the dark to James' bed.

"I'm cold, "he said gently, looking over at Robert.

Robert frowned faintly, sitting up slightly. How could the man possibly be cold while Robert felt like he was on fire? He couldn't understand it but, if Storm was cold, then well he was cold, that's all there was to it.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he asked, lying back down and beginning to turn over again.

Instead of getting a response though, Robert felt the bed sink beneath him slightly. He turned his head and looked up as James crawled underneath the covers from the other side, his body up against Robert's not too long after that.

"Cold," he said simply, wrapping his arms around Robert. Robert sighed gently, but he didn't shove James away. James was like a brother to him, he couldn't just ignore him. He wrapped his arms around James and rested his head down on the pillow once before drifting off to sleep, James not too long after him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews everyone!**

**Just so you know, I'm using all ring names instead of real names; otherwise it's going to get insanely confusing insanely fast.**

**I'm sorry if the ending sucks, it will get better once the chapters go on, sorry dolls.**

**I own no one involved, they all belong to TNA.**

Robert woke the next morning with a groan, something heavy resting against his chest. He groaned softly once more as he opened his eyes, looking down whatever it was on his chest. Slowly, memories of last night returned to him, and he smiled slightly at the sight of James sleeping with his head on Robert's chest. He sighed faintly as he reached down and ran his hand lightly through James' hair, making little movement though in hopes of not waking the other man.

His efforts were proven wrong though, as he felt James squirm slightly before moving away from him. He watched as James curled up on his side, his back to Robert, a soft mumble escaping his lips before falling silent once more. He sighed and sat up, looking over at James' sleeping figure before climbing out of bed.

Robert returned to the room a few minutes later after showering, turning when he heard his phone ringing. He hurried over to it and answered it before the ringing woke James. He didn't even get the chance to say hello before he heard Flair's voice on the other side, shouting, ordering him to AJ's locker room within the next hour. Before he could say anything, Flair hung up, leaving Robert standing there motionless, the phone still held up to his ear.

With a sigh, Robert threw the phone aside and headed back to the bed to put his shoes on when he heard a knock at the door. Growling faintly, he turned and headed for the door instead, opening it widely and looking at Kazarian as he stood before him.

"What do you want?" he asked moodily, staring at the other man with a slight glare.

Kazarian rolled his eyes at the other man's attitude, "Chill out man," he said, raising his hands in a defensive motion, "I just came to tell you that Flair wants to you see, soon, like in an hour. Otherwise, you're in big trouble."

Robert rolled his eyes before slamming the door shut in Kazarian's face. The only thing he didn't account for was the fact that the sound of the slamming door was so loud, that it startled James out of his sleep, and made him jump right out of bed, falling in a pile of sheets between the bed and the wall.

"What the hell was that for?" grumbled James from underneath the pile of sheets. Robert sighed and walked over, digging James out from underneath the sheets.

"I'm sorry man," he said, taking his hand pulling James up off the floor, "I'm just bothered again by whatever it is Flair wants."

James frowned, looking over at him as he sat on the bed, pulling Robert down next to him, "Why are they making such a big deal out of this?" he asked, lying his head down on Robert's shoulder.

Robert shrugged slightly, sighing faintly, "I have no fucking clue, but I'll find out soon," he said, pulling away from James and standing up, "I need to get going. If I don't get to AJ's locker room within an hour I'm in big trouble according to Kazarian.

James frowned as he watched Robert quickly grab his phone and wallet, then dash out the door, leaving him alone in the quiet hotel room. He sighed softly as he stood up from the bed and got dressed, not even bothering with a shower. He then threw himself down on the bed, lying there with a pout on his lips as he waited for Robert to come back.

Robert skidded to a halt as he stopped outside of AJ's locker room. He glanced down hurriedly at his watch, sighing loudly when he noticed he was finally there with only two minutes to spare. He raised his hand and knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open the door as he caught his breath.

"Ah, good to see you Robert," said Flair as he opened the door, letting Robert come in, "Right on time too."

Robert followed him, and took a seat on the couch, noting that they were the only two in the room.

"Did I do something wrong, Flair?" he asked curiously, looking up at the older man.

Flair shrugged, sitting down in the chair across from him, "That depends," he said simply, "I've been hearing things."

"Uh, what things?" he asked, not really sure where Flair was going with all of this.

Flair was silent for a moment before speaking again, "There are rumors that there is something going on between you and James," he said slowly, "Is this true?"

Robert froze, his hands clenching together as he lowered his gaze to the floor. Had he been that obvious with his actions? Who was it that told anyone else that something might be going on between him and his best friend? How could he possibly have let it be noticeable to anyone else?

"Robert?" asked Flair, forcing Robert to look back up at him, "is it true?"

Robert sighed gently, "I'm not quite sure," he said softly, "What does it matter anyways?"

"What does it matter?" asked Flair, laughing gently, "Robert you must realize, I will not have any queers in my group, not in my stable."

Robert looked at him, shocked slightly, "You're not to kick me out because of something that's none of your business?"

"None of my business?" he asked, "Did you forget that the only reason you're being used is because of me? If it wasn't for me you would be back where the Guns are now!"

Robert scoffed in disgust, rising from the couch, "Listen here you old man," he said sternly, pointing a finger at Flair, "Beer Money was popular and doing just fine before you came here and we'll be fine without your old ass helping us."

With that said Robert stormed past Flair and headed for the door, not wanting to stick around anymore and be called names by an old man.

"You walk out that door and you're done with Fortune," said Flair, standing up and turning to face Robert, "Oh, and you won't have James with you, I can assure you have that. He still has his place in Fortune."

Robert turned, and looked back at Flair, "Fuck off old man," he said before flinging the door open and storming out into the hall. He shoved his way past JB and Val, not even in the mood to speak to them as they opened their mouths to say something.

James was growing bored of sitting around in the hotel room by himself when the door thudded open, and Robert stormed in, slamming the door shut behind him. James sat up on the bed, watching with a frown as his friend stood a few feet from the bed, fuming.

"What happened?" he asked tentatively.

Robert turned his gaze to James, "That fucking old man wants to kick me out of Fortune," he said, keeping some of the other details from James.

"What? Why?" he asked, standing up from the bed, "What happened?"

Robert shrugged, "I don't know why, but I don't give a damn anymore. We were fine without him, and we'll still be fine without him and his Fortune," he said, a sick feeling filling him as he threw himself down on the bed.

"I don't understand though," said James softly, sitting next to him, "Why does he want to kick you out?"

Robert looked over at him, not really sure if he could say, "Let's just say, he doesn't like my life choices right now, and leave it at that," he said before standing up again and grabbing his bag that his gear in it.

"Come on cowboy, we need to get to the arena for taping," he continued on, kicking lightly at James' bag before heading for the door.

James sighed before following after him, sitting quietly in the car as they drove to the arena.

Once they were there, James quickly darted away from Robert when he wasn't watching, and hurried off to find Flair in hopes of figuring out just what his best friend was hiding from him, in hopes of fixing things so everything would be the way it should be once more. The only thing he wasn't counting for was the fact that Robert didn't want him to know, and would be severely upset when, if he found out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews everyone =]**

**Just so you all know this isn't going to go like the show. It takes place during the current time period with Fortune, but it's not going to follow the show.**

**Remember, all of them are called by their ring names to avoid confusion.**

**This is the first time I've actually played out anything in a match, so please bare with me if it's not completely accurate. =]**

**Sorry if it's a bit long, I just had so much to fit into this one lol**

**I own no one, they all belong to TNA.**

James froze as he stood outside of AJ's locker room. He knew Robert would be mad at him for going behind his back to find out what was going on, but he wanted to know, he wanted to know what happened to piss off his friend so much.

So, with a soft sigh, James raised his hand and knocked on the door, waiting patiently. The door opened to reveal AJ, a look of confusion on the young man's face.

"What's going on James?" he asked, taking a step back and letting James in. He walked into the room, looking around for Flair but he didn't see him, so he turned back to AJ.

"Where's Flair?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

AJ stared at him, "Uh, he's out waiting to head to the ring to cut his promo with all of us. I was just about to head that way. Where's Robert?"

James shrugged, "I don't know, I ditched him to find Flair," he said briefly before walking out of the room. He walked with AJ to the curtain, lowering his gaze when he saw the curious look on Robert's face.

"Where were you?" asked Robert, hitting his arm lightly against James' arm.

Before James could respond though, Flair's music filled the Impact Zone, and they were forced to head out to the ring with him. They stood in the ring, none of them quite sure what it was that they were suppose to do, all they knew that was Flair was going to book some matches.

"Tonight," said Flair into the microphone, "It'll be Desmond Wolfe and Kazarian versus Jay Lethal; you think you can handle that, boys?"

Desmond and Kazarian nodded their heads, turning their gaze briefly to each other, a slight mistrust playing across both men's features.

"Also," said Flair, turning his attention back to the crowd, "We have James Storm in a match versus Mr. Anderson."

James glanced briefly over at Robert, his face expressionless. Robert could see though through it that he wasn't quite comfortable with the idea. It had been a while since the two of them were in singles competition, and Robert knew James wasn't all that comfortable. He brushed his arm lightly against James' arm in a way that wasn't too odd, hoping to calm the man some before looking back over at Flair.

"Last," said Flair, a smirk playing across his face, "We have Robert Roode in a match versus Abyss and Samoa Joe!"

Robert felt his body freeze as Flair turned to look at him, the smirk more vibrant now, a dark look filling the eyes of Flair. Robert felt a feeling of disgust fill his body as he turned his head, trying to prove that he didn't give a care when really he was ready to be sick right there in the ring. He knew Joe and Abyss weren't going to hurt him, but he wouldn't put it past Flair to do something so they would.

Once they were backstage again, Robert collapsed onto the couch in the locker room, his head in his hands as James sat next to him, his head lying against Robert's arm. They sat like that in silence until a knock came to the door, followed by one of the workers saying it was nearly time for James' match.

Although Robert wanted so badly to go out with him, he knew he had to stay backstage and prepare. He turned his head towards James, brushing his lips lightly against James' forehead before he watched the man leave, a deep sigh escaping his lips once he was alone. Robert didn't even look at the monitor in the corner as James' match was played out. He could hear what was happening, and that was enough as he put his head back into his hands, taking a series of deep breaths to calm him.

As the sound of cheers rang through the locker room after James' victory, Robert heard knocking at the door again, and a worker telling him it was time for his match. He stood up slowly and walked out of the room. He made his way to the curtain, pausing there when he saw James coming back through.

"I won," said James breathlessly, hugging Robert lightly, his head curled up along the side of Robert's neck.

Robert smiled faintly, patting James on the back lightly, "Good job cowboy," he said softly before pulling away, and watching as James left to change. He took a deep, steady breath as he heard his music fill the arena. He walked out amongst the cheers of the crowd, his insides squirming as he headed into the ring, posing briefly before Joe's music hit.

He watched as both men soon arrived at the ring, and then heard the bell ringing in the distance. He wasn't even in the right mindset for a handicap match, but he tried. He focused his attacks on both men, before slowly drifting off to just one. He wasn't paying attention though when he felt his body fly out of the ring and smack hard into the guard rail. He winced as he was yanked up and thrown repeatedly around, his body aching as he crawled into the ring once more.

It was a good five minutes later when Robert felt his body fall hard onto the mat from the black hole slam that Abyss used on him. He was winded as he felt his leg being pulled upward, Abyss' body lying on him for the pin. He didn't have the energy to kick out even if he was suppose to as he heard the bell echo in the distance, the sound Abyss' music filling the arena. He groaned as he felt Abyss climb off of him, and then rolled out of the ring, holding a hand to his ribs.

Stumbling his way backstage, Robert sighed as he staggered into his locker room, flinching when he felt a pair of hands reach out, catching him at his hips.

"Man, you okay?" asked James, helping Robert over to the couch. Robert nodded, sitting himself down gently and resting his head back against the back of the couch. "You sure you're okay, Bobby?"

Robert glanced over at him, reaching up and resting a hand on James' arm, "I'm fine cowboy," he said with a slight wince, sighing softly. "My ribs just hurt."

James frowned, standing up quickly, "You might have broken your ribs," he said gently, "We should get the trainer to check you out."

Before Robert could oppose the idea, James hurried out the door, leaving Robert alone in the locker room. He sighed gently, his insides aching from his match, but there was little he could do to ease the pain. He closed his eyes briefly, hoping to ignore the pain when he heard the door open with a bang against the wall. He jumped, opening his eyes to see Kazarian walking over to him.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked, struggling to get up from the couch.

Kazarian smirked at him, grabbing Robert by the arms and pulling him up from the couch, "Just doing my job," he stated before throwing Robert hard to the floor. He winced in pain as his hurt ribs smacked hard against the floor. He wanted to call out in hopes of James hearing him, but the pain was too much as he felt a foot connect with his ribs hard repeatedly, hisses escaping his lips as he crawled away from Kazarian.

"Leave me alone you jackass," he growled softly, leaning against the lockers as he tried to get up to his feet. Kazarian followed him slowly, kicking him in the stomach as he tried to get up to his feet. Robert collapse to the floor once more, clutching at his stomach, his ribs as he felt Kazarian's foot collide with his side this time, knocking him back against the lockers.

Robert hissed in pain as he felt his body pinned back against the lockers, then he felt more kicks directed hard at his ribs, the pain becoming nearly unbearable before he felt Kazarian grab his head. He growled, glaring up at Kazarian before he felt his head snapped back, crashing hard against the lockers. He collapsed down to his side, clutching his head tightly in pain as he squeezed his eyes shut, the sound of footsteps leaving the room soon followed by the shutting of the door.

It wasn't long before he heard the door open again followed by a shouting voice high above him. He then felt a cool hand caressing his cheek, brushing strands of hair back from his face. He opened his eyes slowly, unshed tears shining in his eyes as he looked up at James.

"James," he choked out before silent tears raced down his cheeks in pain. James frowned; holding Robert close as he slowly pulled him up from the floor, biting his lower lip when he saw the pain etched on Robert's face.

A trainer appeared at James' side not too long after, checking over Robert as they placed him down on the couch.

"Looks like he's got a few broken ribs," said the trainer, their fingers lightly running along Robert's side, "You'll need to take him to the hospital tonight to get those wrapped up, and some pills for him."

James nodded, watching the trainer leave before looking back at Robert, "I'm so sorry Robert," he said softly, resting his forehead against Robert's.

Robert gulped faintly, "Not your fault," he whispered, curling his hands up in James' hair briefly before pulling back, "Can we get to the hospital now so I can go back to the hotel and sleep?"

James nodded once more, helping his friend up from the couch. He led the other man out of the room, grabbing their things along the way. They walked out to the car, and James helped him in, frowning when he saw much pain the little effort caused Robert. James drove them to the hospital, and then helped Robert out of the car again.

Walking into the hospital, they were silent as they were led in to another room where an available doctor was waiting. James helped Robert sit on the bed, and then watched from the side as the doctor wrapped up Robert's ribs, being careful not to hurt him more.

Once they were done, James helped Robert out to the car and drove back to the hospital, helping Robert once more out of the car and up to their room. He watched sadly as Robert climbed into bed, not even bothering to remove his clothes. James side and stripped down to his boxers before climbing into bed next to Robert. He watched with a frown as Robert clung tightly to him, silent tears rolling down his cheeks as he cried himself to sleep that night, James following into a light sleep shortly after.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews everyone =]**

**Okay, just so everyone knows, I have nothing against homosexuals, I support them big time. I don't think anyone involved in this story has any problem with them either, however, the idea of Flair dislike homosexuals or bisexual comes from a RUMOR I read where he didn't like the guy that was with Orlando Jordan.**

**With that said, this story is purely for fun, nothing else. Just want everyone to know that now =]**

**And another horrible ending, well cut off ending *sigh***

**I own no one, they all belong to TNA.**

"What happened last night?" asked James as he sat next to Robert the next morning, watching as the other man tried to pull on his clothes. Robert sighed, glancing over at him as he struggled with his pants.

"Nothing," he mumbled, "Nothing I can't handle."

James frowned, "Bobby they hurt you," he said, grabbing Robert's wrist, "Who was it?"

Robert looked down at his hand then up at James, "It's nothing that should concern you James," he said, pulling James' hand off of his wrist, "Don't worry about it."

James sighed, watching as Robert managed to get dressed, the pain he saw etched on Robert's face made his heart break. He stood from the bed, leaving the room with Robert as they made their way down to the hotel's restaurant. Robert froze when he saw Kazarian standing there, smirking at him.

"I'm not hungry," said Robert, turning away from restaurant. James stopped, looking over at him. "You go ahead."

Before James could respond, Robert walked off, heading out to the parking lot. He sighed once more as he turned and walked past Kazarian into the restaurant. He took a seat at a table, and began to flip through the menu when a shadow was casted over the menu, blocking out his lighting. He lifted his head, looking up at Kazarian.

"Yes?" He asked, returning his gaze down to the menu, "What do you want Kaz?"

Kazarian smirked as he sat down at the table, looking across it at James, "There is something I wish to ask you James," he said, crossing his arms on the table in front of him.

James lowered the menu slowly, looking at the other man, "What do you want?" he asked again, not in the mood to ask all proper like Kazarian was talking.

"Flair wants to know something about you," he said simply, "He wants to know where you align yourself? Sexually that is."

James raised an eyebrow, staring at him, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Kazarian smirked even wider, his eyes shining brightly, "Oh James you know that Flair has a strong dislike of anyone that isn't straight," he said as if it was the most obvious thing, "Surely you know that you can lose your job if you are….anything different."

James frowned, "That's not true," he said softly.

"Oh you are a queer aren't you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at him, "Oh I won't tell anyone if you are."

James looked at him quietly before turning his head when his food arrived. He stared down at it blankly, not really sure if he was all that hungry now.

"James," said Kazarian, pulling him from his thoughts, "You didn't answer my question."

James lifted his head, looking at him, "What if I don't have any answer?" he asked in response before lowering his gaze, picking a bit at his food.

Kazarian smirked once more, leaning across the table some, his face a few inches from James', "You could always do a test," he whispered, his breath lightly tickling James' face.

He looked up at Kazarian, his gaze meeting Kazarian's before he sank back in his chair, putting a bit more space between him and the other man. Kazarian let the smirk slide slightly into a smile as he sank back to his own side of the table.

"What's wrong James?" he asked softly, "Don't like someone telling you what to do? Or, do you only like Bobby doing that?"

James looked over at him, his eyes flashing with a slight annoyance, "You have no right calling him that," he said sternly, "You can call him Robert, or Roode and that's it, got it?"

Kazarian chuckled, "Testy aren't we?" he asked softly, "Fine, Roode it is then."

He rolled his eyes as he stood up, pulling his wallet out and tossing some money onto the table before leaving the restaurant. Before he could make it to the elevator to go get his bags, James found himself shoved against a nearby wall, his body pinned to it.

"What do you want now?" he growled, looking at Kazarian as he stood in front of him.

Instead of getting a response though, James felt Kazarian's lips pressed against his own roughly. He froze underneath Kazarian's hands, his eyes wide as Kazarian kissed him for a few minutes before pulling back.

"You know James," he said softly, "You're supposed to kiss the person back when they kiss you."

Before James could retort, he felt Kazarian kissing him once more. Instead of just standing there this time though, James found himself unable to stop as he returned the kiss. He kissed Kazarian back briefly before shoving the man backwards, wiping at his mouth.

"Don't touch me again," he warned before hurrying to the hotel exit. He walked out the door and towards his rental car, glad that he gotten one of his own instead of always sharing with Robert. He drove himself to the arena, and then got out, heading into the building.

Robert sighed as he sat in the locker room, his eyes locked on the floor. He knew he was being foolish for running away from Kazarian like that, but he couldn't help himself. The idea of getting injured again was something he wanted to avoid, even if that meant acting like a little child. He sighed again as he stood and walked to the door, opening it and stepping out into the hall as James hurried up to his side, skidding to a stop before he crashed into Robert.

"You okay James?" he asked, noticing the wild look in James' eyes, "What's wrong?"

James shook his head, "Nothing, have you seen AJ? I need to talk to him about something to do with the storyline," he asked, trying to divert the conversation away from him.

"He's in his locker room," said Robert with a sigh, "Have fun."

James frowned as Robert walked away towards the ring before turning and heading off towards AJ"s locker room. He paused outside the door, knocking briefly before opening the door. He looked around for the other man before he heard the sound of running water in the bathroom. He sighed faintly as he threw himself down on the couch, waiting for AJ to come out.

Stepping out of the bathroom with a towel on his head, AJ jumped when he saw James sitting on the couch.

"Gosh James, you trying to give me a heart attack?" he asked, smiling faintly at him, "What are you doing here?"

James glanced at him, "Is Kaz and Flair planning something outside of the storyline that I don't know about?" he asked point blank.

AJ stared at him, confused, "What are you talking about?" he asked, shutting the door to the locker room before sitting down on the couch next to James.

James took a deep breath before speaking, "Kaz came to me earlier, he said Flair doesn't like queers, he asked if I was one. I never gave him an answer, and then he kissed me, twice, after I tried to leave," he explained, a queasy feeling filling his stomach.

"Seriously?" he asked, "Shit man. Did you….did you kiss him back?"

James glanced over at him, nodding his head slowly, "I didn't mean to," he said softly, "It was just a reflex, I think.

"Have you told Robert?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," he said, shaking his head, "I can't tell him. What if he turns his back on me for, for what I did?"

AJ smiled faintly, "Man, Robert would never, ever turn his back on you," he said, patting James on the back, "He'd rather be kicked out of the company before he did that."

James sighed, "If you say so," he said, shaking his head again, "What am I going to do about Kaz and Flair?"

"I don't know man," he said, "Just go see Flair, and…"

Before AJ could finish, the door to the locker room opened and Flair walked in, a bright smile on his face.

"Hello boys," he greeted, "I was looking for you James."

James gulped slightly, "Yes sir?" he asked tentatively.

"I know all about you kissing Kaz," he said simply, "And I'm alright with that as long as you date him."

James froze, "What?" he asked, "But I don't like Kaz like that."

Flair smirked, "I don't care, do you want your spot in Fortune?"

"Yes," he said, rising from the couch slowly, AJ rising up with him.

"Then you're dating Kaz, and that's all there is to it," he said before leaving the room, James watching him, stunned.

"I…I'm dating Kaz," he managed to get out before collapsing back on the couch, his insides squirming as he thought over the very idea of dating someone like Kaz. Then, it hit him, what about Robert? He grimaced as he covered his face with his hands, the sickening feeling filling him once more as he felt AJ sit down next to him, rubbing his arm in comfort as he waited for James to calm down, hoping all of this was just some sick, twisted joke though he knew deep down that it wasn't.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews everyone =]**

**Random, but Twisted Transistor by Korn is a great song, listened to it while doing this chapter, song made me want to dance lol**

**I own no one involved, they all belong to TNA.**

Robert grimaced as he walked back to his locker room from the ring. He had to do a match with Anderson for the taping, which wasn't all that bad, but he wasn't expecting the attack from behind by Abyss. He couldn't understand it. Why were these guys so quick to turn on him?

He sighed as he walked into the locker room, shutting the door behind him. He walked over to his bags, stripping his shirt off as he walked, tossing it hard at his bag. He winced as that little motion caused a ripple of pain to course through his side and ribs before settling down once more. He shook his head as he turned and made his way to the showers.

After showering, Robert made his way back to his stuff, drying his hair as he walked. As he went to pull on his shirt, he heard a series of knocks at the door. Sighing, he turned and walked over to the door, opening it to see Kazarian standing there, a smirk on his lips.

"What the hell do you want?" growled Robert, closing the door slightly in hope of delaying any kind of attack he might do.

Kazarian shook his head, the smirk not yet leaving his lips, "Oh calm down Robert," he said, resting his hand on the door, "I'm not going to do anything."

Robert rolled his eyes, "I highly doubt that," he growled, moving to shut the door. Kazarian moved instead, sticking his foot between the door and the frame before forcing the door open. As Robert went to try and shut it again, Kazarian reached out and elbowed Robert in the ribs, sending the man backwards in pain, clutching at his ribs.

"Sorry Robert," he said sarcastically, "You forced me to do that."

Robert glared at him, clutching still at his ribs, "What do you want?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Kazarian kicked the door shut, turning his attention to Robert, "I wanted to tell you," he said slowly, "James isn't coming back to you."

Robert froze, looking up at Kazarian, "What did you do to him?" he asked, his voice rising.

"Nothing….yet," he said with a smirk, "All I meant was that James is now mine, my lover, and he won't ever be coming back to you."

He stared at him, shaking his head, "James would never chose a low life like you over me," he said, hoping to persuade himself more than Kazarian.

Kazarian lashed out, grabbing Robert's arms and pulling him to him, "Don't call me a low life," he growled before continuing on, "If I was, why would James….kiss me?"

Robert gasped lightly, staring up at him, "He wouldn't," he whispered, "James doesn't…he wouldn't kiss you."

"Oh he did," he said with a smirk, "Now, I suggest you stay away from my James, or I will do something about it."

Robert shook his head, "He's my tag partner and my friend," he said sternly, "You can't keep him away from me."

"Is that so?" he asked, "Maybe I should give you a little demonstration as to what your punishment will be."

Before Robert could comment, he felt his body slammed against the wall, his ribs exploding in pain as he groaned loudly. Kazarian laughed as he threw Robert against the door, and then walked over to him, picking him up before he could even think about moving. Robert groaned as he felt his head slammed against the door only, the room blackening some around him. Kazarian opened the door and dragged Robert out into the hall, looking around for others before tossing Robert into a garbage pin not far from his locker room.

"Have a nice nap with the trash," murmured Kazarian as Robert blacked out.

A few hours later, AJ was walking down the hall with Jeff Jarrett at his side.

"Alright man," said AJ, "I just don't think what Flair is doing is quite….appropriate."

Jarrett nodded, "I got it AJ," he said, stopping when he heard noise coming from his side, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked AJ, stopping and turning to look back at the other man.

A soft groan came from the side, causing both men to exchange confused looks. Turning, Jarrett moved slowly towards the garbage bin, listening to the groaning as it got louder. He stepped up next to the bin, looking into it and jumping when he saw Robert lying in it, half unconscious.

"Shit," mumbled Jarrett, "AJ, go get the trainer!"

AJ nodded, running off down the hall as Jarrett reached in and pulled Robert out of the pile of trash. He laid him down on the floor then kneeled next to him, holding him against his body as he waited for AJ to return.

A few minutes later, AJ returned with the trainer at his side. They kneeled down next to Jarrett and the trainer went to work examining Robert.

"Looks like his ribs might be cracked again, it's hard to tell," said the trainer, moving their hands up to Robert's head, "I'm not sure where this blood in his hair is coming from, but it's certainly not good. You better get him to the hospital."

"I'll take him," said AJ, standing up and running off to go get his car keys. Jarrett picked Robert up in his arms and began to carry him out to the parking lot. Once he was standing by AJ's car, he leaned back against it, holding onto Robert while waiting for AJ to return.

Once AJ returned with the keys, Jarrett laid Robert down in the back, and then climbed into the passenger seat as AJ climbed into the driver's seat. They drove in silence to the hospital, climbing out of the car once they got there. Jarrett carried Robert in while AJ ran ahead, asking for help.

Hours past after the nurses took Robert, leaving Jarrett and AJ in the waiting room. They sat in silence while waiting for some news, any news on Robert. The sound of running footsteps reached their ears, and they looked up to see James running in, Alex and Chris behind him.

"What are they doing here?" asked AJ curiously when James was near them.

"He needed a ride," said Alex, "We were the only ones around."

James looked over at AJ and Jeff, panting faintly, "How's Robert? What happened? Is he going to be okay? Who hurt him?"

"Calm down man," said Jarrett, placing a hand on his shoulder, "We don't know anything yet. Just what we already told you."

James sighed heavily, throwing himself into one of the chairs. Jarrett sat down quietly next to him, AJ sitting on the other side.

"We'll just go get everyone some coffee, right Chris?" said Alex, looking over at his tag team partner. Chris nodded before scurrying away with Alex.

"I failed him," said James after a few minutes of silence, "I was supposed to watch him, and I didn't."

Jarrett sighed faintly, "It's not your fault," he said, rubbing James' back, "When we get back, I'll get the security feed from the hall, and we'll see who did that to Robert."

AJ nodded, patting James on the knee, "Yeah man," he said comfortingly, "Don't worry about it."

After that, the three of them sat in silence as they waited for some news on Robert. Alex and Chris returned a while later with coffee for everyone before joining the other three in the waiting, hoping that everything as going to be okay.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! =]**

**Sorry this is so late, my muses went like blah on me, but everything should be okay now.**

**Gah, I don't like my ending again!**

**I own no one involved, they all belong to TNA. **

The room was bright as Robert slowly opened his eyes, blinking repeatedly as he tried to adjust to the bright lights hovering above him. He winced as he closed his eyes again, waiting before opening them again, looking around the room. All he could see though was machines and white walls. He turned his head the other way, watching as a nurse stood next to him, checking over his blood pressure.

"Oh good Mr. Roode, you're awake," said the nurse with a smile, "I'll send in one of your visitors right away."

James sighed as he sat in the waiting room, his arms crossed over his chest. He glanced over at, smiling faintly at Alex and Chris lying on the floor, Chris lying on top of Alex. He then looked over at Jeff Jarrett and AJ, smiling when he saw them sitting with their heads together, AJ's head resting on Jeff's shoulder. He turned his head from his friends, looking towards the various nurses and doctors when he saw one heading towards him, a feeling of hope filling him.

"Excuse me, your friend is awake now," said the nurse, smiling at James. James jumped up and followed her, heading through a door and down a few halls before stopping at Robert's room. He slowly walked in, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Hey cowboy," croaked Robert softly, reaching his hand out. James held Robert's hand in his own, smiling down at him. "You shouldn't be here. Kaz might hurt you."

James' smile turned to a frown; "Robert?" he asked gently, "Is Kaz the one that hurt you?"

Robert shook his head, "Nah, it was someone else," he answered, doing his best to lie his way out of it. "Who else is here?"

"Uh, Double J, Alex, Chris, and AJ," responded James, squeezing Robert's hand gently, "They're asleep though, so I came back."

Robert smiled up at him, "I'm sorry cowboy," he said after a few minutes, "I'm not very good at protecting myself, apparently."

He shook his head, "No, we're going to find out who did this, it's not your fault," he said, leaning down and kissing Robert's forward gently.

The door opened then, and Jeff Jarrett walked in, frowning faintly at the sight before him, "I'm sorry to break this up," he said softly as James pulled his lips back from Robert's forward, "But Kaz is here, he wants you, now James."

James frowned, glancing over at Jeff then back to Robert, shaking his head. Robert smiled faintly at him, squeezing James' hand.

"Go on cowboy," he said with a soft sigh, "Don't keep your boyfriend waiting."

James sighed, nodding his head slightly before letting go of Robert's hand and leaving the room. He walked back to the waiting room, looking up at Kazarian. He walked over to the man, sighing gently as they left the hospital.

"James isn't happy," said Chris, glancing over at Alex as they were still sitting on the floor, "What's up with him and Kaz?"

"I hear Kaz is forcing James to date him," said AJ, looking at the two men, "Seems Ric isn't too fond of queers, but he's okay with that….that freaky relationship."

They were silent for a few minutes before AJ spoke up again, "I got an idea," he said darkly. Alex and Chris glanced over at each other, gulping slightly before looking up at AJ curiously.

"I don't want to be here right now," said Robert painfully as he stood outside of his locker room a few hours later with Alex and Chris in front of him. "I just want to sleep."

Alex sighed, "We know Robert, we do but we need to get some things from here before we can go back t the hotel," he said, opening the door and walking in. Chris and Robert followed him, not expecting someone to be in the room.

"What are you guys doing here?" growled Kazarian, "It was supposed to only be Robert."

Alex and Chris exchanged looks, "Get lost Kazarian," said Chris, glaring over at him. Before Alex and Chris could do anything though, they felt someone grab them, yanking them towards the door. They tried to fight the person off, but they couldn't make contact.

"Good Wolf," growled Kazarian, smirking as Desmond Wolfe threw Alex and Chris out of the room, shutting and locking the door before they could get back to the door. Robert glanced at the two men, gulping softly.

"Please just leave me alone," he said weakly, cursing himself inwardly for sounding so weak. Kazarian shook his head, walking over and shoving Robert down to the floor, smirking as he stood over the fallen man.

"This should be….fun," he growled, laughing as he slowly lowered himself to Robert's level.

"Damn it Alex it's no use," said Chris as he walked Alex try repeatedly to knock the door open, "We need someone bigger than us."

"But who?" asked Alex as they ran off down the hall, looking around for some of the larger wrestlers. They skidded to a halt when they past Jeff's office, cocking their eyebrows when they saw Joe and Rob Terry walking down the hall together, talking about their upcoming back. "It's as if the wrestling gods answered our question!"

"Hey guys!" shouted Chris, taking off down the hall after them. Alex jumped and ran after him, skidding to a halt before he crashed into Chris.

"What's got you two all worked up?" asked Joe with a chuckle, "Someone give you sugar again?"

Chris shook his head, "No, no we need help!" he responded, "Kazarian and Wolfe have Robert trapped in his locker room, we can't get the door open, you've got to help us."

Joe nodded, "Little the way short stuff," he responded, waving his hand down the hall. Chris glared at him slightly before hurrying down the hall with Alex. They stopped outside of Robert's locker room, turning to look at Rob and Joe.

"Open that door!" said Alex, pointing at the door. Joe lightly pushed the two smaller men aside then turned to the door, stepping back a bit with Rob Terry before both men ran at the door, knocking it off its hinges.

Alex and Chris hurried into the room, gasping lightly when they saw Robert lying on the floor, his clothes ripped to shreds on his body.

"It looks like he's been mauled by a bear," said Joe, rubbing at his shoulder as he walked closer. Alex and Chris kneeled down next to Robert, frowning faintly. "Go get the car started, I'll bring him out and you guys can take him back to the hotel."

Alex nodded before running off with Chris for their car. Joe leaned down and picked up Robert, grunting slightly before adjusting him comfortably into his arms. Rob Terry glanced over at Joe, frowning faintly.

"Someone should tell Jarrett, and James," he said as he followed Joe out of the room.

Joe nodded, "You go to tell them, I got my hands full."

Rob nodded and walked off as Joe turned and headed for the parking lot. He walked out to the car, setting Robert down gently in the backseat before letting Chris climb in next to Robert. He watched as Chris held Robert in his arms, and then shut the door, turning his attention to Alex.

"Rob is informing Jarrett and James," he said softly, "Take care of the guy and if you need help give me a call."

Alex nodded then climbed into the car, driving back to the hotel. He parked the car then helped Chris take Robert up to his room. They had just settled him down on the bed when the door opened and James came in, a frantic look on his face. He turned his attention to Robert, frowning faintly as he climbed onto the bed and crawled up next to Robert.

"What happened?" he asked softly, his fingers lightly playing with Robert's hair, "I left before Rob could say."

Chris sighed gently, "Kazarian and Desmond were waiting in the locker room when we got there. They threw us out and attacked him. We're so sorry James," he said softly, his voice cracking slightly.

James shook his head, "Leave," he said softly as he stood up from the bed. Alex and Chris nodded then hurried out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. James sighed as pulled Robert's ripped clothes off of his body, and then moved him underneath the covers. He went into the bathroom to shower briefly then returned, climbing underneath the covers and lying next to Robert. He held him in his arms that night, sleeping lightly, his prays going out in hope that they could find some way to stop Kazarian and Desmond before it was too late.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! =]**

**So, I can't do accents as you can see with the fabulous Brits in this story, so there you go.**

**I own no one involved, they all belong to TNA.**

"Where's Robert?" asked Alex as a tired James joined him and Chris in catering the next morning. He watched as James laid his head down on the table, his eyes turning to the two smaller men.

"I told him to stay at the hotel," he responded, "Nothing should happen to him, plus Joe is with him."

Chris smirked, "You left Joe with him?" he asked, "Man, that's some sweet protection detail."

James nodded, "Thankfully neither of them are needed for the next taping," he said, lifting his head and yawning, "Well I need to go find Kaz, I'll see you guys later."

Alex and Chris exchanged looks before watching James leave, "I sure hope AJ's plan works," mumbled Chris as Alex nodded in agreement.

James walked silently down the halls before stopping at Kazarian's locker room. He knocked on the door, smiling faintly when Kazarian let him in.

"I've been waiting for you," said Kaz, smirking as he shut and locked the door, "You took your sweet time getting here."

James sighed, "Sorry Kazarian, I was with Alex and Chris," he said softly, "They wanted to know how Robert was doing."

"How is Roode doing?" he asked, his voice faking sympathy, "Is he okay?"

James shrugged, "He wouldn't say a word to me all morning, I'm worried about him," he responded with a frown.

"Maybe he blames you," said Kazarian, walking over and wrapping his arms around James, "Maybe he thinks it's your fault he keeps getting hurt. I mean, you do leave him every time it happens."

James frowned, looking at Kazarian, "Maybe….maybe it is my fault," he said, lowering his gaze, "I do leave whenever he gets hurt. Maybe I should stop being around him."

Kazarian nodded, "It would be for the best," he said with a smirk, "Maybe we can tag together instead."

"I like tagging with Robert, but if it's hurting him…" he trailed off slightly, "I'll go talk to Double J, find a way to break up Beer Money."

Kazarian smirked, kissing James lightly on the lips, "Go do that now," he growled lightly, "And we'll have our fun when you return."

James nodded and left the room, not really sure why he was so willing to follow what Kazarian told him.

"What do you mean you want to break up Beer Money?" asked Jeff Jarrett as he leaned against his desk, his arms crossed over his chest, a shocked expression on his face.

James sighed, shaking his head, "It's not safe for Robert to be around me. I'm the reason he's getting hurt, I can't let it continue," he said, looking up at Jeff.

"But you're not," he said, grabbing a tape from next to him and putting into the VCR attached to the TV in the room. "Watch this."

James turned his head unwillingly towards the TV, waiting for it to start. When it did, James couldn't help but frown when he saw Robert alone in the locker room. Then, as he continued to watch, he saw Kazarian come by and attack Robert a few minutes later. A sickening feeling filled James as he watched unable to turn away from it.

"That was the first time he was attacked," said Jeff breaking the silence, "The tape from the other time is missing."

James shook his head, his entire body beginning to shake before he stormed out of the room, ignoring the calls from Jeff telling him to come back. James stormed down the hall, shoving people aside until he reached Kazarian's locker room. He threw open the door, growling loudly as he stepped into the room. He looked around the entire room, but Kazarian was nowhere to be seen.

Growling loudly, James walked out and down the hall again, spotting Desmond a few feet from him. He grabbed the man's shoulders and shoved him back against the wall.

"Where the hell is Kazarian?" he growled, holding Desmond against the wall.

Desmond chuckled, "Did you lose your boy toy?" he asked with a smirk, "Last I saw, he was heading to the parking lot. You might try there."

"You better not be lying to me," responded James, slamming Desmond against the wall once more before releasing him and heading towards the parking lot. He slammed the back door open, glancing around hurriedly for Kazarian or his car. That's when he spotted the car leaving the parking lot. Growling, James hurried over to his own car and climbed in, quickly following after Kazarian. He followed the man back to the hotel, sticking a bit back as he followed Kazarian upstairs and to the floor James' room was on.

Then, when they were a few feet from James' room, James ran forward and tackled Kazarian down to the floor face first.

"What the hell?" growled Kazarian as he was rolled onto his back, and was now face to face with James. "What are you doing?"

James didn't answer, instead, he threw a quick series of punches at Kazarian's face before Kazarian reacted and protected himself before trying to hit James back. Their little fist fight turned into a full-fledge fight as they rolled around the hotel hall, smashing against doors and walls as they launched themselves at each other.

It was only before James felt a pair of arms wrap around him, yanking him backwards. He tried to fight off whoever it was, but they were too strong for him.

"Calm down already James," said Rob Terry, tightening his grip around James. James looked up at him, then at Kazarian, watching as Brutus Magnus pulled him up from the floor.

"Get that jackass away from me," growled James, "He's the one that hurt Robert!"

Brutus looked down at Kazarian, tilting his head briefly before punching Kazarian once in the face, knocking him back down to the floor.

"Come on James, we'll get you back to your room now," said Rob, leading him and Brutus away from the bloody Kazarian.

Meanwhile, Robert sighed as he sat on his bed, looking over at Joe watching TV.

"Can I pleaseeeee go somewhere, pleaseeeee?" begged Robert, sighing heavily afterwards.

Joe sighed, looking over at him, "No," he said simply, "You can't go out, James would have my head if I let you go out and get hurt again."

"But that's the beauty of it," said Robert, "You can come with me, and then I can't get hurt!"

Joe raised an eyebrow, "I don't think James would like that either."

"Psh, remember? Joe's gonna kill you!" said Robert, not wanting to lose the fight, "You can kill whoever hurts me."

Joe chuckled, "I don't think that would work," he said, "Besides, James should be back soon."

As if on cue, the door to the room thudded open, and Rob walked in, helping James along.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Joe as he stood and walked over, helping Rob put James down on the bed.

"The idiot got himself into a fight with Kazarian," responded Brutus, making his presence noticed, "They sounded like they were tearing down the hotel."

James rolled his eyes, "These two Brits wouldn't let me kill Kazarian," said James, slapping his hands down on the bed in frustration. Robert frowned and crawled forward, lying his head down on James' shoulder.

"You didn't get hurt did you?" he asked softly, nuzzling his head against James' neck.

James shook his head slightly, "No, but Brutus busted him open," he growled softly, looking over at Brutus, "I could have done that."

Brutus shrugged, "Yeah, but you didn't," he said with a sly smile before heading for the door, "Come on Rob, we still haven't finished our movie."

Rob grinned before hurrying off after Brutus, shutting the door behind him. Joe shook his head before looking at the other two men.

"I'll go too, I'll let Jarrett, Shelley, and Sabin know what's going on," he said, "If I know Kaz, he's probably whining to Hogan or Dixie right about now, maybe Flair too."

With that said, Joe turned and left the room, leaving James and Robert alone. Robert slid back slightly, looking at James silently.

"What?" asked James, noticing Robert's attention on him.

Robert sighed gently, "Why did you get into a fight with Kazarian?"

"He's the one that hurt you, I wasn't going to let him get away with that!"

"How did you figure that out?"

"Jarrett has a tape from the first attack," he said, "He showed it to me."

Robert frowned before turning and crawling up to the top of the bed, lying down shortly after. James sighed and stood up, walking around the side of the bed before lying down next to him. They spent the rest of the day and night like that, ignoring everything around them for once in favor of spending just a little bit of time together alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry about not updating this for a while; it's been a struggle trying to figure out where I want to go with this.**

It had been a few weeks since the last attack on Robert, and the others had gone a bit more distant when it came to watching over him. He had begun to notice that they weren't around as often as before, neither was James. Every time he wanted to speak to the other man, Kazarian was busy with him, which was something that unnerved Robert more than he liked.

He sighed lightly to himself as he walked into the locker room, throwing his bag down. He changed into his wrestling gear then sat on the floor, stretching himself out. He had just finished when the door opened and James walked in.

"Hey cowboy," said Robert lightly, standing up from the floor, "Where have you been?"

James shrugged, "Been with Kazarian mostly."

"How can you keep going back to him? He's the one that hurt me James, he attacked me!"

"I know he did Robert, but my job is on the line. If I break up with Kazarian, Flair will have me out of here by the end of the night."

Robert looked at him with disgust, "So you'd rather keep your job and stay with the guy that hurt your best friend, instead of defending me? I see how it is."

"Would you stop that? It's not like I'm in this willing! I don't like Kazarian, I certainly don't love him!"

Robert shook his head, "I don't want to hear this, and I know it's a load of bullshit anyways."

"What's a load of bullshit? That I don't love him? Well, reality check Robert, I love someone else!"

Robert shook his head again, choosing not to even bother responding. He walked out the door and down the hall with James following after him.

"I love you!" he shouted after Robert. Robert froze in his tracks and turned slowly, looking back at James.

"What?" he asked softly, not sure if he had truly heard it, or if his mind was playing tricks on him again. He watched as James approached him, stopping in front of him as he placed his hands on Robert's shoulders.

"I love you," he responded softly, leaning his forward against Robert's. Robert smiled slightly, looking at him.

"I…..." he started to say before they heard Kazarian shouting from behind them. They parted to see Kazarian storming towards them, yanking them apart before pulling James behind him.

"Roode, I thought I told you to stay away from my boyfriend, I'm pretty sure I made that VERY clear!"

"Kazarian, stop it," said James gently, "We were just talking about the show."

Robert nodded, hoping that by lying they could somehow calm Kazarian down, "We were just making sure no one else heard us, you know, all part of the show and everything."

Kazarian looked at him hard, staring at him for a few minutes before scoffing at him and dragging James away. Robert sighed as he watched James being taken away, angry that he wasn't able to tell James that he loved him in return. He turned and walked off, figuring maybe he could get a chance after the show to speak to James.

After the taping, Robert returned to his locker room, sore from his match with Joe. He sighed as he began to change from his clothes, not bothering to shower. As he was buttoning up his pants, he heard the sound of the door opening, and turned to see James walking in.

He walked over and threw his arms around James, resting his head on his shoulder, "Does Kazarian know you're here?"

James shrugged, "Nah, but it doesn't matter. I saw him leave with Desmond a little while ago."

Robert pulled back, and looked up at him, "You don't think he's…seeing Desmond on the side are you?"

"I don't care if he is Bobby, he can have him," he said, kissing Robert's forehead, "Now, we need to change then we can go back to the hotel room."

Robert smiled brightly as he walked over to his shirt and threw it on. He then busied himself with packing his things as James changed, keeping himself from staring to the best of his ability. Then, once both men were ready, they walked out to the parking lot and drove back to the hotel room.

Once they were settled in their room, Robert glanced up at James from his spot on James' chest.

"I never got to say to you what I wanted to say earlier," he said softly, sitting up so he was hovering over James.

"What was it?"

"Well," he said softly, lightly kissing James on the lips, "I love you too."

James smiled, and reached up, tucking some of Robert's hair behind his ear before reaching over and clicking off the light. They laid snuggled in each other's arms later that night as they slept, not caring about anything else.


End file.
